Showtime breaks free of cable with HBO Now-like standalone service

New OTT service to launch on Apple, Roku devices and PlayStation Vue in July

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Update: It looks like Apple isn't the only platform to receive Showtime's new standalone service. Both Roku and Sony today announced availability for the Roku TV operating system and PlayStation Vue.

The service should launch concurrently on all the platforms in time for the July 12 season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex.

Original story below...

Whatever Apple is doing over in Cupertino, it's working.

Today, HBO competitor Showtime announced a partnership with the inventor of the MacBook and iPad that will give iOS and Apple TV users a new standalone streaming app, simply called Showtime.

The service won't require a subscription to cable and will be available in time for the season premieres of Ray Donovan and Masters of Sex on Sunday, July 12. It will cost $10.99/month for non-Showtime subscribers to start, and will roll out to additional platforms and providers sometime after launch. Current subscribers should be able to login with their regular Showtime account and passwords.

Showtime's app follows in the wake of HBO's exclusive partnership with Apple for its new over-the-top streaming service, HBO Now, and will offer similar incentives to new users - namely, a 30-day free trial to new customers to watch shows like Homeland, The Affair, Shameless, House of Lies, Twin Peaks and Weeds.

More interesting, however, is that in addition to on-demand content, Showtime will offer users a live feed based on their geographic locations. East coast users will be able to watch live content while it's still on the air that west coast users will catch three hours later in their time zone.

For comparison's sake, Showtime is about $5 less per month than HBO Now, which has recently announced Android TV support.